Villa ace with 28 touches may have cost his side top 10 v NUFC, fans will be furious - opinion

Aston Villa suffered their first Premier League defeat in over a month as Steven Gerrard’s side lost 1-0 at Newcastle United on Sunday afternoon.

Kieran Trippier’s 35th-minute free-kick was the difference between the two teams as Villa striker Ollie Watkins saw a goal ruled out for offside in the second half.

It was a below-par display from the visitors, with Birmingham Live journalist Ashley Preece tweeting that the visitors were “the worst they’ve been under Steven Gerrard”.

Despite the whole team struggling, Emi Martinez – who is usually excellent for the Villans – had a forgettable match.

According to SofaScore, the goalkeeper was the joint-lowest rated player on the pitch as the Argentine and team-mate Douglas Luiz were handed 6.4/10 ratings. The goalkeeper made just one save whilst also failing to record a single punch, runout or claim. Martinez could also only manage a 68% passing accuracy, whilst having just 28 touches – the second-fewest of any Villa starter.

Granted, Newcastle didn’t offer much either, with Eddie Howe’s side recording just two shots on target, one being the goal from Trippier. Also, in fairness to the Villa ‘keeper, there wasn’t much he could’ve done with the free-kick, which took a big deflection off Emi Buendia on its way into the net.

The performance was particularly below-par due to how high expectations now are for the 29-year-old. Since joining Aston Villa from Arsenal in September 2020, the goalkeeper has made 61 appearances, keeping 21 clean sheets in the process, an average of a clean sheet every 2.9 games.

He has missed just one league game for Gerrard’s side this term and is a crucial presence at the back, with his distribution a key factor in the way in how the 41-year-old wants his